News Desk
WASHINGTON: SpaceX reached a groundbreaking achievement during its fifth Starship test flight. For the first time in spaceflight history, SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster was caught mid-air by the company’s mechanical arms, referred to as “Mechazilla” by founder Elon Musk. The launch took place from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, marking a significant step toward SpaceX’s goal of rapid rocket reusability.
The company’s livestream showed the Super Heavy booster’s controlled descent back to the launchpad, where the mechanical arms—often called “chopsticks”—captured the rocket safely. This feat demonstrated SpaceX’s innovative approach to making space travel more efficient and reducing the costs associated with space missions by reusing key rocket components. Musk celebrated the event on social media, enthusiastically posting: “The tower has caught the rocket!!” SpaceX described the achievement as a momentous occasion in engineering history.
The mission itself launched at 7:25 a.m. ET and saw the upper stage of Starship continue its flight, eventually splashing down in the Indian Ocean. This successful test highlights the progress SpaceX has made in its ambitious pursuit of revolutionizing space travel, and it reinforces the company’s commitment to reusability, which is key to future missions, including those to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
